


Troublesome

by Qem



Category: Hikaru no Go, Naruto
Genre: Crossover, Gen, kids these days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-10
Updated: 2011-12-10
Packaged: 2017-10-27 03:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qem/pseuds/Qem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shikamaru is on a job. He however has some free time to get into some troublesome matters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Troublesome

**Author's Note:**

> Comment fic for hng_prompts

****

Ever since that day that the three insei Waya, Isumi and that Shindou had stumbled into the salon a few years ago, Kawai found that his salon had somehow became a place for insei to come in various groups. There were more than a few that came to improve their techniques, usually in a group of three, having heard of a rumour that they didn't need to pay an entry fee, if they won their matches.

 

Kawai was extremely proud to say that the go salon had the cleanest stones in all of Tokyo.

 

Others came in looking for a challenge - usually lurking in a shifty manner, furtively sticking to the shadows, in an attempt to be ninja like and dive-bombing Shindou if he happened to be in, sulking if he was not. Consequently it was no longer unusual to see kids crop in at the Salon. (Which really improved his vending machine sales outside, regardless of whether they paid an entry fee or not, which made him slightly more forgiving to the cheapskates - but very insistent that for multiple repeat losses they needed to pay a fee in addition to cleaning the stones.)

 

Fortunately his long term customers, generally agreed, that it was entertaining having young folk around and encouraging for the future of the game and enjoyed the occasional moments of drama revealed by these proceedings. (In fact the gossip helped encourage some of the occasional players to come back in more often. So overall, this marketing strategy was deemed by Kuwai to be a success.)

 

This new guy, though Kawai couldn't quite work him out - he came in by himself, lurking by the doorway, observing carefully, but instead of sighing loudly and rudely and leaving right away, he quietly paid for his entry and approached one of the older patrons of the salon who had just finished packing up a game, to ask if he was interested in playing another.

 

Kawai kept a careful eye on him in the background as he moved around chatting with the regulars. Just in case.

 

Still it was when the boy yawned but agreed to play another game and started setting up that Kawai really decided to check him out, after all Tachibana-san never asked for rematches unless he lost, approaching the new game.

 

The boy was good, further confirming Kawai's initial impression of an insei, showing a firm grasp of the basics and an excellent sense of strategy. His game however lacked the subtle touch that experience brought and his handling of the stones was still a little rough.

 

Kawai was now quite interested in having a go against the newcomer - it was fun going up against the new wave of punks and seeing either the new hope for the game, or putting them back in their place.

 

However after this second game finished, the boy packed up, nodded his head politely and left, saying he had to now go back to work.

* * *

It was a chance opportunity that had Kuwai spotting and waving the boy down for a chat.

 

Unfortunately, it really pissed Kuwai off. That punk - Shikamaru... He was definitely no insei; with his slack attitude, revealed through the conversation, infuriating Kawai enough to challenge the boy to a match. The boys protests of having no money, were waved aside as Kuwai dragged him in.

 

A girl of around the same age, with bright blond hair, smirked and backed Kawai up, telling her punk friend that he should go and use his free time... And with that the boy sighed and muttered something about their being no grass to sunbath around on anyway.

* * *

The match was close, however Kawai had taken a lead and looked likely to win, when suddenly Shikamaru hunched closer to the board, pressing the tips of his fingers together and looking engrossed in the game.

 

What happened next was a series of brilliant moves, that Kawai was wondering if this really was some sort of pro, come in for a tournament, since he had revealed in conversation that he was only here temporarily as part of a project for work.

 

Kawai lost the game. The most infuriating thing was the way that, that PUNK, didn't even seem to care. Kawai was being restrained by two of the salon residents and...

 

That's when Shindou Hikaru entered.

* * *

Shindou looked bemused when the situation was explained to him. Shikamaru looked depressed and muttered something about "why must everything be so troublesome".

 

They both agreed to a match, with Shindou rolling his eyes at Kawai about having to keep his head together and winning this match. And that he would be banned permanently from the Salon if he lost this match.

 

The match started off slowly, but soon the shapes were beginning to build. It looked quite even, possibly even Shikamaru winning for a good part of the match, but then Shindou's games often looked like that and then a tricky stone would flip the game around.

 

When Shikamaru pressed his finger tips together, Kawai watched intensely that had been when Shikamaru had started revealing a crafty scheme and not more than three moves later Hikaru had reached for his fan, a sure sign he was taking the game seriously.

 

The game furiously continued through, with sharp pachi sounds from Hikaru's hands, being met by slower more plodding sounds from Shikamaru's... Until with a sigh, Shikamaru gave his resignation.

 

"Troublesome, so troublesome." he grumbled.

 

'That would show the punk to treat Go, so lightly!' Kawai thought vindictively.

 

"You're actually pretty good, ever thought of going pro?" Hikaru asked curiously as they began their end game discussion.

"I'm actually a shogi player" Shikamaru admitted, "and I already have a job, just got another promotion, which is why I'm here for now."

"Ah, I know a guy who plays shogi, he's pretty good, if you like I can introduce him?" Hikaru asked, more polite than normal, still studying the game intently with his eyebrows drawn tightly together.

"Nah, I'm going back home soon, probably tonight."

 

BOOM. There was the sound of an explosion some distance away that everyone in the building could feel tremours from.

"Ah, yare yare... Some way to spend my leisure time. Make that definitely tonight." Shikamaru sighed before leaping out the window. Of the second floor.

 

"Um. Do people you invite to play normally do that?" Asked Hikaru in a befuddled tone.

 

Kawai took one long hard stare at Hikaru before storming off, yelling about "KIDS THESE DAYS!"


End file.
